


[Meta] A Breakdown of Podfic Hosting Options

by digiella (GodOfLaundryBaskets)



Category: Podfic Meta - Fandom
Genre: Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Meta, Podfic Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GodOfLaundryBaskets/pseuds/digiella
Summary: A breakdown of podfic hosting options. This contains some recommendations and the pros and cons of many of the services. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide where you're hosting your podfic and there are a lot of options.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 7
Collections: A Guide To Audio Fanworks, HTML & CSS stuffs





	[Meta] A Breakdown of Podfic Hosting Options

**Author's Note:**

> X-posted from dreamwidth here: <https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240112#main>
> 
> Might make an audio version at some point but it's going up sans audio for now.

There are many hosting options out there! I'll go over some of the pros and cons of the ones I've seen commonely used. But there are certainly other options out there. The ones I'm covering are all free. Most of them have paid options which generally will increase the storage limit. Some sites like wordpress allow you to do upload audio and do streaming (outside ao3) but ONLY if you have paid account and so I'm not covering those here.

And hey! If you have a host I didn't mention, feel free to let me know in the comments! I'm always very interested in the different options out there and like finding new ones.

###  embedded streaming with the ao3 audio tag

Code at it's simplest: ` <audio src="MP3_LINK" preload="metadata" > </audio> ` where the MP3_LINK is a direct link to your mp3. In general, you can assume this will not work if your link does not end in .mp3.

Like so: ` <audio src="https://archive.org/download/calm_20200507/Calm.mp3" preload="metadata"> </audio>`

``

``

###  creating a clickable link

Code at it's simplest: ` <a href="MP3_LINK"> any text that you want displayed </a> `

What I typically do: ` <a href="https://archive.org/download/calm_20200507/Calm.mp3"> [link to mp3] </a>`

`` Otherwise ao3 does have an rich text editor you can to create your text link. The rich text editor does not, as far as I'm aware, have the ability to use the audio tag.

* * *

##  hosts that allow embedded streaming via audio tag:

###  *** archive.org**

  1. No upload or storage limits
  2. No way to upload a file that in a way that's "private"
  3. Can be a little slow to upload
  4. It is my host of choice. Here's a great guide: [ justaphage's tutorial for using archive.org](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dYOX8PDiYYfuHJz4g_RjLfhaO_7-f9ES0uFqFTmpZ2s/edit?usp=drivesdk)



###  *** dropbox.com**

  1. Storage limit of 2 GB
  2. To generate your mp3 link, just need to share once it's been uploaded: 
    1. More detailed instructions on getting dropbox links to work with the ao3 audio tag can be found at the bottom of this post [ao3 audio tag](https://godoflaundrybaskets.dreamwidth.org/2718.html)
    2. The tl;dr version is try replacing www `www.dropbox.com `with `dl.dropboxusercontent.com`



How To Share: 

Click share link |   
---|---  
Copy the link at the bottom of the popup |   
  
###  *** airtable.com**

  1. Storage limit of 2 GB
  2. A brief guide to see how it works is over here: [audio tag with airtable by notfic (bluedreaming)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325015)
  3. Airtable is more of a online database system so I'm not sure, if file sharing becomes popular through their platform, what restrictions they might add.
  4. However, it is one of the few that does work with the ao3 streaming tag so figured good to include anyway.



###  *** self hosted files**

  1. If you're hosting through paraka (or doing the hosting yourself through dreamhost/backblaze/etc) you're typically able to use the ao3 audio tag. Though, it requires a bit more technical know how to set up the certificates etc to get it to work. But this guide isn't really aimed at y'all ;)
  2. Generally, unless someone else is setting up the site for you, this will require significantly more work than using one of the other storage options you can sign up for
  3. However, it does probably lend itself to the most control over your files.
  4. Whoever is setting up the hosting is probably paying some amount for it.



* * *

##  hosts with their own embeddable stream within ao3

###  *** archive.org**

  1. Technically archive.org also has it's own embeddable stream



###  *** soundcloud.com**

  1. Storage limit of 3 hours
  2. To embed: find the "Share" button and copy the code under the "Embed" tab.
  3. **In order to allow people to download you MUST** **enable direct downloads** or people will not be able to download your file. **By default this is OFF.** You can enable this by 
    1. going clicking the "Edit" button of your track
    2. Selecting the "Permissions" tab
    3. Checking the "Direct Downloads"
    4. Clicking "Save Changes"
  4. Please enable downloads for those who don't stream :sob:



* * *

##  hosts with their own streams (but you have to leave ao3)

Several of these hosts have bandwidth limits. What this means is they only allow so many people to stream/download your podfic per period of time. I'll try to call out the ones I know have this and what their reset periods typically look like. Most of the time (especially starting out) these bandwidth limits will not effect you significantly.

###  *** anchor.fm**

  1. No storage limits
  2. No bandwidth limits
  3. Please make sure **not** to select the monetization options if you're using and going to be embedding with ao3.
  4. Also really consider if you want anchor.fm to distribute your podfics to the major podcast vendors like Spotify or iTunes. You won't have much control over these distribution methods and they're a bit of a pain to take down if you decide later you don't want them. Generally, I'd advise making sure the distribution stuff is **not** selected unless you're absolutely sure you're okay with this being shared in non-fandom spaces.
  5. It does give you an rss feed, regardless of other distribution stuff you choose.
  6. Theoretically, could be used with the audio tag if anchor ever adds a CORS policy to where they host the audio. Theoretically, you could embed their embeddable iframe, if ao3 ever decides to whitelist anchor.fm.
  7. The stream hosted on anchor.fm will work, but won't let others download the podfic. In order to provide a download link, you have to find where (as the creator) you can download the episode and then copy that link and share it. 
    1. Go to the episode details page
    2. At the bottom of the page there's a section called "Episode segments"
    3. Click the "..." which should bring up the option for "Download Audio File"
    4. Right click and copy the link address
    5. This can be used for other people to download the episode



###  *** google drive**

  1. Storage limit of 15 GB
  2. This does have bandwidth limits. Will reset every day. This is controlled by a lot of things you can't see and I've found no estimate of ~how many download attempts will cause the "Too many users have viewed or downloaded this file recently" error.



###  *** box.com**

  1. Storage limit of 10 GB
  2. Bandwidth limit: 10 GB per month



###  *** mega.nz**

  1. Storage limit of 15 GB
  2. Technically they start you a higher storage limit but that goes away after a month
  3. This does have bandwidth limits. Will reset every six hours. Estimates I've seen thrown about are ~1 GB per six hours. So, for example, if you have a single podfic that's 500MB (i.e half a GB) only two people will be allowed to stream/download it ever six hours. However, like google drive, this can vary based on their site's overall traffic.



###  *** clyp.it**

**As of 05 Dec 2020 clyp.it is moving to a fully paid platform:[[link to news update]](https://clypblog.tumblr.com/post/636222649313394688/major-changes-coming-to-clyp)**

  1. ~~6 hour storage limit~~
  2. ~~No bandwidth limit that I'm aware of~~
  3. ~~Similar to soundcloud by default downloads are not available. You should enable them by going to "Edit Details" and select the "Downloads" checkbox.~~
  4. ~~Please enable downloads :sob:~~



* * *

##  other options:

###  *** Mediafire:**

  1. This will not provide embedded streaming of any kind. Also lots of sketchy links on the site. Would not generally recommend but you do see it used.
  2. Storage limit of 10 GB



###  *** youtube.com**

  1. Youtube can technically be embedded directly in the ao3 post, however other than... sketchy sites... I don't know of any way to allow people to download your podfic when it's only been uploaded to youtube.
  2. By default can only upload 15 minute videos (but not difficult to verify your account via phone # if you're alright with youtube linking that to you)
  3. Must be a video (even if it's just a static image). As I understand it, there are tools within youtube that might help you upload this way but I haven't ever done this so you'll have to find another tutorial for that.
  4. There are limits on uploads per day but no storage limits by default




End file.
